Sekolah Dato' Abdul Razak
Sekolah berasrama penuh school in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus, Malaysia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sekolah Dato' Abdul Razak (English: Dato' Abdul Razak School; abbreviated SDAR) is a premiere, Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (English: Fully Residential School) for male students in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. It is one of the most prestigious schools in Malaysia, selecting the best students in the country and is named after Abdul Razak Hussein.
| Sekolah Dato' Abdul Razak | |
|---|---|
Dato' Abdul Razak School | |
| Location | |
 | |
Sungai Gadut , , 71450 Malaysia | |
| Information | |
| Other name | SDAR |
| Type | Sekolah Berasrama Penuh |
| Motto | Malay: Berilmu Untuk Berjasa (To Learn and To Serve) |
| Established | 1st May 1956 |
| Authority | Bahagian Pengurusan Sekolah Berasrama Penuh, Ministry of Education, Malaysia |
| School code | NEB4137 |
| Principal | Mohd Nor Hakim Bin Ismail |
| Staff |
|
| Teaching staff | 64 (2026) |
| Grades | Form 1 - Form 5 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Age range | 13 - 17 years old |
| Enrolment | 719 students (2026) |
| Language | Malay, English |
| Houses |
|
| Colours | Red, Yellow, White |
| Song | Berilmu Untuk Berjasa |
| Yearbook | SEDAR |
| Alumni name | SDAR Alumni (SDARA) |
| Website | www |
It was known as a Smart School, before becoming a Cluster School in 2008. In 2010, SDAR was selected as one of the 20 Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi or High Performance schools in Malaysia. The school is known for its rugby and foyer program.[1]
History
Establishment
Source:[2]
SDAR was established in Johor Bahru on 1 May 1956 as Sekolah Menengah Melayu (Malay Secondary School). The establishment of the school was based on the proposal from the 'Penyata Razak' (Razak Report) 1956. Among the main objectives of the formation of the school was to provide opportunities for bright and high potential students from the Malay stream primary school to further their education to the secondary level.
When Sekolah Menengah Melayu was first established, there was no dedicated campus for the students. The first batch of students consisted of 80 boys and they were accompanied by three teachers. The group was assigned to a temporary location in Bukit Zaharah, Johor Bahru. In 1957, half of the original first batch students were assigned to enroll in a new location (now known as Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman) in Ipoh.
The remaining students were then relocated to Tanjung Malim, Perak,[3] staying in the campus provided by the Sultan Idris Training College, SITC (currently known as Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris). With larger campus, more students were taken in and enrolment increased to 119. SITC Principal, R.A. Goodchild was appointed as the temporary principal of the new school and he was replaced by C.F. Daniels two months later. Within this period, the school teaching faculty increased to 11, including part-time teachers.
On 5 January 1958, the school new campus building, located next to SITC, was opened and En. Ariffin Mohd Nam was appointed as the first school principal.
School renaming
On 29 November 1958, the school was given a new name. The then Minister of Education, Mohamed Khir Johari, officially announced the school's new name as Sekolah Dato’ Abdul Razak, in honour of Dato’ Abdul Razak Hussein, who was the brainchild behind the school formation.[4] Dato’ Abdul Razak himself, who was the Deputy Prime Minister at the time, officiated the renaming ceremony. “Berilmu Untuk Berjasa”, which means "With Knowledge to Contribute", became the official school motto.
Jalan Sikamat Campus
As the school enrolment grew, the Tanjung Malim campus could no longer accommodate the increasing number of students. As such, in 1971, the Negeri Sembilan state government had allocated 16.36 acres of land in Jalan Sikamat, Seremban, as the new school campus site. On the 2nd of January 1972, SDAR officially relocated to its new site in Seremban despite the unfinished constructions of some of its facilities (dining hall building and some classrooms). The Removal Class students had to be temporarily assigned to the nearby teachers' training college campus (now known as Insititut Pendidikan Guru Raja Melewar). Tuan Syed Jaafar Al-Idrus, maintained his post as the school principal during this time.[5]
On 3 November 1973, the Jalan Sikamat SDAR campus was officially opened in a ceremony attended by Dato' Haji Murad bin Noor, Director General of Education and En Annuar Ayeob, the Negeri Sembilan Education Director.
Extracurricular activities
Rugby is one of the most popular sports at the school and its rugby team is known as the 'SDAR Lions'. A number of players were selected to play in the Malaysia national rugby union team. The school's rugby team won the National Premier Schools Rugby Championship in 1998 and featured in the final of the 1999 and 2001 editions. Before the school moved to its new campus in Seremban, the team won the Perak state title and the MORI Cup in 1971. It also won Negeri Sembilan school rugby championship and became the only school to win the title in two different states. Since 1973, the school competes with King's College Thailand in an annual rugby match.[6]
In 2011, the school band was featured in a flash mob style, reality programme, Refleksi Orkestra in conjunction with Orkestra RTM 50 Golden Jubilee.[7]
Notable alumni
Politicians
- Dato' Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah, former Second Minister of Finance
- Dato' Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, former Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry
- Datuk Dr. Haji Abdul Latif Ahmad, former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department
- Dato' Wan Hisham Wan Salleh, former member of Terengganu State Executive Council
Academics
- Emeritus Professor Dato' Dr. Mohd Sham Mohd Sani, former vice chancellor of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
- Professor Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Nik Mustapha Raja Abdullah, former vice chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia
- Professor Dato Dr Mohd Fauzi Ramlan, former vice chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia
Law
- Tan Sri Dato' Sri Ahmad Maarop, jurist and lawyer, 10th president of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia